Matches to Make After PFL 8
The two heaviest weight classes for men and women were featured at
PFL 8 on Friday inside The Theater at Madison Square Garden in
New York, with the finals now set for men’s heavyweight and women’s
featherweight. In the main event, deadly Brazilian striker Renan
Ferreira faced
Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Maurice
Greene. Ferreira had an impressive eight knockouts in 10
victories, most achieved in highlight-reel fashion. He had lost to
eventual heavyweight champion Ante Delija
in the 2022 tournament but had come back strong this year, needing
just 50 seconds to knock out last year’s finalist Matheus
Scheffel.
Originally, Greene was not set to be part of the
Professional Fighters League postseason. However, after the No.
3 seed Marcelo
Nunes withdrew due to injury, he made it in as the No. 5 seed.
Amusingly, Greene recorded a second-round standing knockout of
Nunes earlier this season before dropping a decision to the
aforementioned 2022 champion Delija. Ferreira dominated the first
round with superior boxing, beating Greene to the punch, though the
American scored some effective oblique kicks, which he likely
learned during his time sparring with Jon Jones, who
was in his corner. However, it was all for naught. Just before the
first round ended, Greene walked into a scorching right cross that
dropped him like a sack of potatoes.
In the co-main, 2022 PFL women’s lightweight champion Larissa
Pacheco sought to add a 2023 featherweight tournament title to
her collection when she fought Olena
Kolesnyk for a third time. Pacheco had knocked out Kolesnyk at
4:48 of Round 1 in 2021, then improved that mark by punching her
out in 2:09 in 2022. Little was expected to change the third time
around, with Pacheco being an astronomical -2400 favorite on some
books. Indeed, Kolesnyk immediately covered up and slunk to her
knees after the first right hand that Pacheco landed, clearly not
wanting any part of the fight. It was all over in just 14
seconds.
In the other heavyweight semifinal, top seed Denis
Goltsov made quick work of raw Jordan
Heiderman. The well-rounded Goltsov, who had knocked out
opponents earlier during the PFL season, leaned on his grappling
this time. He easily scored a trip in the clinch, advanced
position, inflicted heavy ground-and-pound and then finished with
an arm-triangle choke just over four minutes into the opening
frame.
In the last semifinal, another Russian, Marina
Mokhnatkina, also won her fight easily with grappling over an
American foe. The 6-foot Amber
Leibrock had scored a frequently replayed head kick knockout
this season, but her grappling was no match for former sambo
champion Mokhnatkina, who easily got her down, advanced to mount
and then worked on an armbar that elicited the tap at just 1:45 of
the first round.
With the championships set for men’s heavyweight and women’s
featherweight, featuring a Brazilian versus a Russian, let us
analyze both fights in more detail:
Renan
Ferreira vs. Denis
Goltsov
Early in the fight, Ferreira will have faster and more accurate
boxing, though not by much, as Goltsov is no slouch in this
department, recording a blistering 18-second knockout of Yorgan De
Castro earlier this season. In fact, Goltsov’s overall boxing
technique might be slightly cleaner and he has the superior jab.
Still, in the first round, Ferreira is very dangerous and has a
chance, though not a big one, of knocking Goltsov out. After the
opening frame, however, he becomes significantly less potent. His
striking is far less dynamic and he is more susceptible to being
taken down. While both decisions were later overturned due to drug
violations, this is how Ferreira initially lost verdicts to
Klidson
Abreu in 2022 and Rizvan
Kuniev earlier this year. Goltsov, being a good grappler and
smart fighter, will look to tread water in the opening stanza
before likely taking over in the next four rounds. It is no
guarantee, as Goltsov’s cardio has failed him in five-rounders
before, but I would significantly favor him for these reasons,
either attaining a late finish or a clear decision.
Larissa
Pacheco vs. Marina
Mokhnatkina
Mokhnatkina is a skilled grappler whose striking and standup
defense have improved over the years. Still, she is smaller and
less potent of a wrestler than Kayla
Harrison, who easily won a unanimous decision over the Russian
fighter in 2022 but lost a close five-round decision to Pacheco in
the 2022 PFL Championships. Furthermore, Pacheco is a solid
grappler in her own right, with almost as many submission wins
(eight) as knockouts (11) on her ledger. She will be difficult to
take down and even harder to keep there, let alone submit. While
Mokhnatkina may be a better striker these days, she is still too
slow, telegraphed and untechnical to offer Pacheco much of a
challenge. Even if Mokhnatkina manages to take Pacheco down and
keep her there for a round, it is hard to imagine her doing so for
all five rounds. Moreover, from previous five-round fights, Pacheco
will likely be the one with a cardio advantage. Pacheco will be a
huge favorite and rightly so, as she should be able to keep the
fight standing, where she will dominate and very likely attain a
knockout, likely in the first round.